Oshiomhole claims car crash “an assassination attempt”

A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, was on Tuesday involved in a car crash which left two policemen attached to his convoy dead.

The crash happened when an articulated vehicle was said to have lost control and ran into Oshiomhole’s convoy near Oluku junction in the Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

In a statement, his media aide, Victor Oshioke, insisted it was an assassination attempt.

“It is pertinent to state, without fear of contradiction, that the convoy of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was maintaining legal speed limits when this incident occurred.

“This explains why the trailer travelling in the same direction, overran the Hilux truck off the road and still hit the SUV carrying Comrade Oshiomhole, causing substantial damage.

“Without prejudice to police investigations, eye witnesses account of the incident suggest, and we believe rightly too, that this was an assassination attempt, targeting Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,” part of the statement read.

The Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said: “I received the news of the accident with shock and commiserate with the former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the candidate of the APC in the forthcoming governorship election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu over the very unfortunate incident involving their security aides and top chieftains of the party in the campaign team.”

Obaseki prayed for “strength for the families of the deceased persons” and the “the quick recovery of those who were injured”.

Oshiomhole was on his way to Usen, to join the APC campaign train for the September 19 Governorship Election. This led to the party candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, calling off his rally.